Legislation

image © Free PressYesterday ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter (PDF) urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

On June 25, 2013, ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

 ltr-cybersecurity-privacy-25jun13.pdf

image © Wally GobetzThis week ARL joined 109 other organizations as part of the Coalition for National Science Funding in a letter (PDF) to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, as well as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, expressing concern about recent Congressional actions that call into question the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) merit review process for awarding research grants.

image © Bjørn MolstadThe Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction in the US House of Representatives on May 9, 2013, of H.R. 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.

Senator Patrick Leahy
image © World BankOn Thursday, April 25, the US Senate Judiciary Committee took another crucial step toward fixing outdated privacy laws by endorsing a bill proposed by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that includes vital reforms to give appropriate privacy protection to e-mail and cloud storage. The committee passed a similar bill in November 2012, but the legislative session ended before the measure could reach the full Senate. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) applauds Chairman Leahy and all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their strong, bipartisan support for reasonable privacy protections online.

We the undersigned organizations urge you to vote "no" on H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA). We are gravely concerned that this bill will allow companies that hold very sensitive and personal information to liberally share it with the government, which could then use the information without meaningful oversight for purposes unrelated to cybersecurity.

aclu-coalition-cispa-16apr2012.pdf

Letter from library associations thanking Paul Broun for conducting a hearing on Public Access and Scholarly Publication Interests.

frpaa-broun-29mar2012.pdf

Library association letter expressing opposition to H.R. 3699, The Research Works Act.

lt-researchworksact-24jan12.pdf

Letter from higher education and library associations thanking Representative Doyle for introducing H.R. 4004, "The Federal Research Public Access Act."

oawg-house-frpaa-14feb2012.pdf

Letter from higher education and library associations thanking Senator Cornyn for introducing S. 2096, "'The Federal Research Public Access Act."

oawg-senate-frpaa-14feb2012.pdf

Letter opposing the Research Works Act.

lt-researchworksact-24feb12.pdf

Letter thanking representatives for their "advocacy of First Amendment rights and the value of an open and secure Internet during last week's markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)."

lca_thanks_markuprev21dec11.pdf

Letter from the Library Copyright Alliance encouraging the release of a discussion draft bill to address the problem of foreign infringing websites.

lca_letteropenact_12dec11.pdf

Comments of the Library Copyright Alliance and the Music Library Association.

noi1201comments05.pdf

Library Copyright Alliance letter to John Conyers and Lamar Smith.

lca-sopa-08nov11.pdf

ARL letter expressing support for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or the DREAM Act.

ltdream_27june11.pdf

In the wake of Judge Chin's rejection of the Google Books Settlement, there has been a renewed interest in legislative solutions to a variety of copyright issues affecting libraries, including those implicating the mass digitization of books, the use of orphan works, and the modernization of 17 U.S.C. §108 (particularly preservation). The Library Copyright Alliance, comprised of the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), has several general comments on possible efforts to address these issues via legislation.

lca_copyrightreformstatement_16may11.pdf

Letter from the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and EDUCAUSE asking representatives to oppose using the Congressional Review Act or any other legislation to overturn or undermine the recent "net neutrality" decision adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

lt-netneutrality-16feb11.pdf

Library association letter in support of the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011, (S. 193).

lt-leahypatriot-02feb11.pdf

Comments on the WIPO Revised Provisions for the Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions/Expressions of Folklore (WIPO/GRTKF/IC/16/4).

ltr-lca_wipo_tce_21jul10.pdf

Letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, concerning ACTA.

lt-kirk-acta-leak-22mar10.pdf

lca_sopa_amend14dec11.pdf

Analysis of the U.S. proposal for an Internet chapter in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which was leaked to the press and widely disseminated on the Internet.

acta-leak-24mar10.pdf

Comments of the Association of Research Libraries, EDUCAUSE, Internet2, NYSERNet, and ACUTA in support of rulemaking to preserve the openness of the Internet.

comments-open-internet-broadband14jan10.pdf

On October 20, 2009, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Representatives Jerrold R. Nadler (D-NY) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R.3845). The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the American Library Association (ALA) believe that this bill contains necessary and important reforms to the powers created by the USA PATRIOT Act.

us-patriot-statement-2009.pdf

Reply comments from ARL and ALA regarding certain concerns raised in initial comments from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA).

mandatory-deposit-reply-16oct09.pdf

Letter to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary in support of amendments to S.1686, the Judiciously Using Surveillance Tools In Counterterrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act.

coalition-ltr-justice-act-30sept09.pdf

Letter to US Senators supporting amendments to S.1686, the Judiciously Using Surveillance Tools In Counterterrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act.

coaltion-ltr-justice-act-23sept09.pdf

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) support including enhanced civil liberties and due process safeguards in the reauthorization of selected provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. When Congress last reauthorized these provisions in 2005, it recognized the need for oversight and sunsets to ensure that there would be an opportunity to revisit the Act and make necessary changes. Since then, Justice Department investigations have produced abundant evidence of the need for comprehensive reform of the Act. Congress should pass the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009 with key amendments to protect civil liberties.

lib-assoc-statement-patriot-23sep09.pdf

openletter_frpaa2009.pdf